The Open Society Foundations announced that Daniela Schwarzer will take on the newly created role of Executive Director for Europe and Eurasia. She will lead and bring together Open Society’s work across both regions, overseeing advocacy and grantmaking activities.

Daniela Schwarzer

‘I am thrilled to welcome Daniela Schwarzer as our new Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia. She is one of the foremost European thought leaders and comes to us with a wealth of leadership experience,’ said Mark Malloch-Brown, who was appointed OSF President earlier this year.

Under the leadership of the newly appointed Executive Director for Europe and Eurasia, existing entities in the regions including the Open Society Initiative for Europe, the Open Society European Policy Institute, the Roma Initiatives Office, and the Eurasia Program will become one single integrated Europe and Eurasia team. Schwarzer will set regional priorities and, building on the legacy and current work in Europe and Eurasia, seek to ensure Open Society is best positioned to address current and future challenges.

Schwarzer is currently the Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), where she has steered the organization’s strategic repositioning and modernization and has advised the EU Commission and national governments on European affairs. She will join OSF in the new role on 1 May.

‘I am honoured to lead the Open Society Foundations’ work in Europe and Eurasia at a time when the organization is fundamentally transforming its way of working to meet today’s challenges and seize new opportunities in its fight for liberal democracy and rule of law,’ Schwarzer said.